The Apprentice
by Miss Pennyfeather
Summary: Claire saves a vampire and she in return receives the gift of immortality. R&R if you like.
1. Chapter 1

Today had been quite busy.

My sister went into labour late in the afternoon and I had to rush from work to the hospital. There were complications. My dad and I, we were both scared Lynette wouldn't be up to it, but thanks to a safe C-section, the baby, a little boy, finally managed to squirm out and make the new mom feel in seventh heaven.

I was happy my sister was making a family of her own. Her boyfriend Mark came later that evening to see her. He hadn't been able to pull himself away from the firm. They were going to get married soon. They were always making plans but now that the baby had arrived they couldn't postpone anymore. They were going to tie the knot.

Around four in the morning my dad and I left the hospital so that Lynette could rest with her baby and Mark. I left my dad home and I drove back to my apartment, on the other side of town. It was a clear, starless night and the coastal wind was a lot softer than usual. I was very tired because I had worked hard all day at the Mall. I was one of the administrators. It wasn't and had never been my ideal job, but after our mom died and Lynette used up most of the family savings to go to Law School, I was left with Community college and un underpaid job at Penny's.

I wasn't blaming anyone. It was certainly not my sister's fault. I had never had the ambition she had. She had always worked hard for what she wanted and she usually achieved it. I never had any clear goals. That's why I was in this situation. It wasn't a dead end; I still had my family and friends. And I was living a quiet life in a peaceful town, with a sea-view.

As I was driving slowly across the cliffs of the coast, more asleep than awake I suddenly saw a figure ahead. It looked like a young man. He was hovering over one of the cliffs, most precariously. Just one more step and he would have fallen in the stormy sea.

I pulled down one of the windows and shouted at him to get away from there, but the man didn't even turn around. So I eventually stopped the car and got out. A mild, gentle summer rain had started.

The man was wearing a brown tweed jacket, some black pants and a blue, truck-driver shirt. I didn't manage to see his face, but even if I knew him (since our town had a small population) it didn't matter.

He was really intending to jump over the cliffs. His shoulders sagged in a low way, like he had lost everything in the world. His head hung down and his arms were limp around his body.

'Hey, you there! What are you doing?'

He made one more step towards the end of the cliff.

'Hey, stop! You'll kill yourself! I'm sure there is still hope for you!'

But my pleading was useless. He didn't seem to hear me or didn't want to hear me.

I ran to him helplessly, just as he was going to jump, hoping I'd be able to grasp his arm and pull him up and I actually managed to grab his elbow and push him away from the precipice, but in the process, I slipped on the wet soil and before I could hold on to something, I fell right into the sharp cliffs, into the sea…

I tried to scream, but there wasn't anything left to be done. In a few seconds I would be dead.

And I probably would have died.

But I didn't.

After what felt like hours I blinked my eyes open. I was lying down on something wet and someone was standing over me. It was the same man I had saved from suicide.

I felt something very bitter in my mouth. It tasted like rusty copper. My eyes were blurry and my body felt like every bone in it was crushed. I probably had a concussion too, but the pain was mild.

'Don't try to move. I'm not done yet. You still need some more,' the man was saying. He was giving me something to drink. His wrist was next to my mouth and he was pouring that liquid into my mouth.

In my weak condition I accepted whatever he was giving me because whatever it was, it was making the pain go away.

'You have to drink it all. I'll make new blood,' he said in a calm voice.

So he was giving me blood. Some memories of me reading Bram Stoker and Anne Rice in high school flashed in my mind. I already knew this scene from a book.

I didn't know why the memories were coming now, but I knew that I was probably dreaming or hallucinating. Or maybe I was comatose and I was imagining these things. Maybe the reruns of Twilight I had seen last week were paying its toll on me.

Whichever it was, I felt I was in a bad position.

But it didn't last much longer. I fell into a long sleep.

* * *

When I woke up, I noticed I was sitting in the backseat of my car. It was a dry, warm place. I couldn't believe I was alive. I felt like blessing some deity. I touched my hands and my legs smiling. Maybe I had fallen asleep here and it had been only an odd vision.

But there were blood stains on my shirt and someone was driving the car. The sun was about to rise. I saw the signs on the horizon. The sea looked almost white.

The man who was driving the car was the man I had saved.

'What are you doing?' I asked, surprised by the clearness of my voice. He didn't sound at all worried.

'I'm driving you home.'

'Who are you? Is this some assault?'

'I'm not an enemy,' he spoke evenly. 'I'm helping you.'

'What were you doing up on that cliff? Did you really want to die?'

'Yes.'

'Did I stop you?'

'Yes.'

My head hurt a lot. I closed my eyes. My clothes were drenched to the bones.

'Did I fall? Did I really fall in the sea?!'

'Yes. You did. I found you somewhere between the rocks on the beach. But you're alright now.'

'I'm alright now?! That must have been a 50 meters fall! How am I still alive?'

He pulled into a small driveway that led to a block of flats. It was among the tallest buildings in the town. I lived here, on the third floor.

I looked out the window to see the other cars, the early commuters and some birds chirping in a tree, but my sight was not the same. I looked at another world out there, much more alive. Maybe this will sound strange but it was a world that was breathing.

'You're not alive,' he answered.

'I'm not alive? Is this life after death? It looks almost the same.'

'You're not dead either.'

He pulled up, got out of the car and helped me out too. I could barely walk but I was slowly gathering strength.

'You need to lie down for a while. I will stay with you.'

I could finally see his face. He looked like one of those airhead jocks at my old high school. There was nothing special about him, except for the eyes which were a very clear colour of blue.

'How did you know where I lived?'

'I searched a bit through your head…I wanted to get you home. I apologise I had to do that.'

'You apologise? You still haven't told me who you are. I don't even know what happened.'

'It's true…I haven't told you anything,' he said sadly. He put an arm around me and carried me inside the block.

We reached my apartment and he put me down as I searched through my pockets for the key. When I opened the door, my golden retriever, Willie, jumped at us happily. He sniffed us a bit curious and licked my hands.

'Poor thing! I should have taken him out yesterday.'

'I'll go out with him. You go lie down,' he told me assuring.

'How can I trust you with my dog? I have no idea who you are.'

'…you can call me Adrian.'

'Adrian. That's a funny name,' I said dizzily as I sat down on my plush couch in the living room.

He nodded absently and grabbed the leash in the hall and took Willie out without a word.

I probably wasn't myself at all; letting strangers take out my dog, sitting there calmly though I knew I shouldn't be alive. I thought that if I survived the fall, I should at least have several broken bones and injuries, but I felt fine. I felt tired and drowsy, but more like I had just eaten a Thanksgiving meal and I was going to take a nap.

The phone called but I didn't bother to answer.

When Adrian came back, I was looking out the window. I was thinking I should call my sister and ask her if she and the baby were fine.

'I've forgotten how fun dogs can be,' he said smiling.

He went in the kitchen and washed his hands. I could hear the water distinctively well. I was almost afraid the pipes had broken and there was a flood in the other room.

Then he came back and sat in front of me on a small stool. The sun rays were pouring into my living room, making his face orange.

'So, I don't think we were acquainted properly. I'm Adrian. And you are?'

'Claire Jenkins,' I answered. 'I haven't seen you around town. Where do you live?'

'Up north in the mountains.'

'You don't look like the mountaineer type.'

'Well, I'm not the mountaineer type. I came here to get away from my home and my thoughts.'

'How did you get into my head?' I asked nonplussed.

He stared at me steadily for a while, then looked down at the coffee table.

'You're taking this very well. I'd expected you to be more surprised.'

'I can't say I've ever been surprised of much. I think what happened was different. I think I didn't really fall. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here, talking to you. I have no wound, so I must have fainted. I think you found out my address. You asked someone on the street about me and this is a small town; we all know each other. Someone probably gave you my address and you drove me here.'

'Maybe that's true. But I know your sister just gave birth.'

'The whole town knows.'

'Your mother died a long time ago.'

'Still…'

'But you think she died because of your father.'

I looked up slightly shaken and folded my hands.

'You haven't told this to anyone, not even your sister. You just know that her illness was aggravated by your father's…misbehaviour.'

'So you know some things about me,' I said after a pause.

'I don't know you at all,' he said blankly. 'I don't know anyone around here. You can trust me on that. But that's the thought that always makes you sad. I can see that.'

'Would you like some tea?' I said after a while.

'No thanks.'

'Why did you try and jump off the cliff? Did something bad happen to you? You want to quit on life?'

He pondered for a few seconds before answering. I guess there were too many questions at once.

'Yes. I wanted to die. I think you can guess I'm upset I didn't.'

'I'm not. For crying out loud, there are enough suicides as it is! We don't need more.'

'It's not fair for you to steal that from me. I have the right to die, whether you like it or not.'

'I had to do something. I couldn't just drive by, could I? A normal person stops to help. I didn't want to let you die.'

'You should have.'

'What happened to you then?'

'Oh. I don't think you'd like to know,' he said sourly.

'You're wrong. People's lives interest me,' I said nodding my head.

'Well, my entire family was killed two nights ago,' he answered simply. He took one of my magazines and browsed through it.

He said this like someone would tell me "it rained yesterday and I didn't have an umbrella."

I brought my knees to my chin.

'Oh…dear, I'm very sorry. I understand now.'

'They all died. Even my uncle and aunt. We all lived together, but they managed to kill them all.'

'Who are they?'

'I have…no idea. They came like shadows, they were like daemons. You know? They seemed like hell's servants. I managed to escape because my blood was pure. Well…now it isn't anymore.'

'What do you mean it was pure?'

'I hadn't turned anyone yet. I was badly injured, but I managed to run away. When I returned they were all cinder. The house looked just like I had left it. That was the worst part. Nothing had changed on the outside.'

I furrowed my brows.

'They turned into cinder...Good Lord.'

'Yes, cinder. I was very much afflicted…' he almost whispered putting down the magazine.

'What did you mean by turning someone? Like spilling the beans?' I wondered.

'It means turning someone else into a vampire with your own blood. I did that with you.'

I flinched and got up instantly.

'Look buddy, I don't know what practical joke you're playing and I get that you're disorientated because your family died, but that's no reason to say these things.'

'But I'm only speaking the truth. What am I supposed to do? Daemons killed my family. What do you think that makes me?'

I looked around me worriedly. If I could knock him unconscious, maybe I could call the ambulance so he could be taken to a hospital. I should call the police too and find out about him and his family and if they really died. Maybe he was an insane man who had escaped the madhouse.

But I felt pity for him. He had brought me home. I was grateful to him, a bit.

'That makes you a troubled young man.'

'I'm much older than you are.'

'How much? You can't be older than twenty seven, let's say.'

'I'm ninety five years old, thank you very much.'

I paced the room up and down not knowing what to do. But then an idea struck me.

'I need to go to the hospital and see my sister. Why don't you come with me?'

'Alright…' he said unsure. 'I should take care of you anyway. I should be very worried to let you go there by yourself. You might get hungry.'

I nodded absently, not wanting to fight with him on this subject. He was obviously unhinged.

He insisted to drive and I let him. In all earnest, I was feeling queasy, very queasy. I wasn't ready to walk yet so much.

When we reached the hospital he took my hand and we walked together inside. I thought this was a good idea. I was helping a pour soul.

Lynette was waiting for me. She was feeding the baby happily. Mark was sleeping in a chair in the ward.

I left Adrian in the hall and called for the nurse.

'Can the doctor come please?' I asked her when she came.

I told the doctor that I had found a very troubled young man last night who wanted to commit suicide. I told him he was waiting outside the door, but when he looked out he said there was no one. Indeed, he had gone.

I worried a bit. Had he suspected my ruse? Maybe. Well, maybe he was waiting outside.

I stayed a while longer with Lynette and my little nephew, Danny. I held him too and kissed his cheeks. He was as tasty as a piece of candy. I could eat him up. I nuzzled in his neck.

I don't know why, but suddenly all I could see in front of me was red. It was like a red fever had taken over me. I blinked once or twice, but it was still there. And the taste in my mouth felt bitter and dusty, like I needed a gulp of water. I reached out for a cup but I dropped it disgusted.

'Feeling nauseous Claire? Take care, maybe you're pregnant too,' Lynette said cheerfully.

I stared in horror at little Danny and realised I wanted to taste his blood.

I hastily pushed him away and gave it to Lynette, taking a few steps back.

'Are you alright? What's wrong? Did he upset you?' she asked surprised.

I waved my hand and told her it was nothing, hoping the feeling would go away, but it did not. I had this monstrous craving for blood and I didn't know why I knew it was blood, but I knew it was the same feeling of thirst. So it came as a natural instinct.

'I'm going to go get a soda,' I told her and left the room agitated.

I ran out of the hospital to get a breath of fresh morning air.

Outside, Adrian was standing in the parking lot.

'So you think I'm crazy? You wanted to lock me up? I'm not insane. Soon you'll see I was right. You're developing your senses. You won't be able to stop afterwards. We shouldn't have come here.'

'Adrian, if that's your real name. I want you to leave me alone,' I told him panting. 'I'm sure you have problems but I can't deal with them now. I'm glad you're alive but you need to sort this thing out with your family. And your sanity. I can't help you.'

'I wish I could leave you,' he said hesitatingly. 'But I can't really.'

'Why?'

'I turned you. You're my apprentice now. It's the Vampire Law.'


	2. Chapter 2

My sister had had a huge influence on me from a tender age. In other words, she was the boss of me most of the times and told me what to do when my kid-brain didn't have a clue on life and such. She was three years older than me but you'd swear she was my mother, mostly because our mother died and she acted like a Windsor wife.

I was a pipsqueak that hid behind my sister whenever there was difficulty ahead and this uncommonly bad habit broke only when she left for college. That left me trying to get a grip on life and do my own thing for once. And proof of that is that I am still here, in this small town.

Then at school I was the vice-president of our Student Body. The president was this chubby girl with large breasts called Peggy. She used to pick on me for no reason.

At Penny's I used to have a boss, Martin, that couldn't stand my guts because his wife had slept with my dad and he had caught them in his apartment. What was I supposed to do if my dad was a douche once in a while?

And now, a crazy stranger was telling me that one way or another, I was his subordinate.

I didn't take it very well.

'Excuse me?' I asked. 'I'm your what?'

'I know it sounds far-fetched but I can explain if you'll let me.'

'And you claim you're not insane! I shouldn't even be listening to you, I should just walk away.'

'I'll find you, if you run away. I will be able to trace you. I don't want you to be my apprentice, but that's the Law. I'll be punished if I do not take care of you. And you, if you don't stay by my side, you'll die, because you need my blood. All apprentices need their makers' blood. That's what they told me growing up. You have to stay with me for a while, until you're ready and you don't need my blood anymore.'

'Adrian. You're living in another world and what you're telling me is not real. You might think it's the truth, but you're very sick. You have to trust me,' I said, amazed at the detailed perception he had of his own world.

His shoulders sagged.

'All my life I've been a spoilt brat. I depended on my family most of the time. This is very new for me. I don't know if I can do it. But I have to.'

'You're not a vampire and I'm not either!' I shouted in the parking lot.

He flinched and turned away, as if I had insulted him.

'If I were a vampire,' I continued, 'I'd be sporting pointy teeth and I wouldn't be able to stand in the sun and other crap like that. Adrian, you need help.'

'Your teeth have just started growing. When they finally reach maturity, you'll no longer need me. That's what I've been trying to tell you.'

I sighed annoyed and exasperated. This guy just wouldn't give up. And the worst part was that I pitied him. Otherwise I would have actually run out of there.

'Adrian. Go find your family. I'm sure they're not dead,' I said firmly, trying to believe that they were still alive somewhere and that he was just lost, like Dumbo in that movie.

That seemed to have struck a chord because he threw me an angry look and just took off, just like that.

I breathed relieved. I was getting pretty worried though. I mean sure the guy was wacko but something very strange had happened last night that I couldn't really account for.

Had I almost died? Had I died? Had it been an accident? Had it been just fainting? I didn't know and you might call me stupid for not asking more about it, but I don't think I wanted to know. He seemed trouble. And I've always tried to avoid trouble.

That afternoon I lay in bed thinking about my mother and how she had died. How had he known that? Was he psychic? What if he was a stalker who had surveyed every event of my life? Well, I didn't really want to know.

I may be weird, but most of the times, I choose to filter information. I don't want to know some things. And when people say I'm stupid, I just tell them I'm happy.

And that's enough for me.

I felt hungry. I hadn't eaten all day so I stalked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple, because I didn't feel I could eat anything else. I bit into it and chewed it and swallowed it and it tasted like dust. Plain dust. It was horrible. Just like the water at the hospital.

Maybe I really was pregnant, like Lynette had said. I had had a silly one-night stand with Harley, the guy who owned the cinema in town.

It was really hard to eat anything, but I ate the whole thing and then ate another and another. Afterwards I ate two slices of left-over pizza.

Still, after two hours, I felt as hungry as before. It made me tetchy. I started swearing and blaming it all on Harley, for some stupid reason.

Then night fell and my stomach was really rumbling. So I cooked myself a big dinner. I dug up the entire fridge. But I ended up vomiting most of what I cooked still feeling damn hungry.

All night long I squirmed and turned in my bed and looked at the VCR from time to time.

I felt light and tired, like I was in the _Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds_ cartoon rendition. It could've been a flu. Only I rarely got ill that way. I grew worried I'd never get out of bed.

Around 4 am, when I knew this was pointless, my lips called a name. And Adrian appeared by my side, instantly. He sat on the edge of my bed. He was the one pitying me now, which kind of reversed our roles in a very embarrassing way.

His eyes were full of compassion.

'At this rate, you'll kill yourself. Not now. But in a week, you'll die.'

'What did you do to me?' I moaned, biting my lips.

'I told you…'

'Why did you do it?'

'Because, you saved my life. It's an unwritten rule among our kind. We don't let our saviours die. Even if we meant to die…'

'I can't be a vampire.'

'You died Claire. You slipped and fell into the sea. And I gave you almost all of my blood. You no longer have an ounce of your old blood. You're like me now. And you need my blood. And you need blood anyway…'

He was talking like he was on a first date and he was telling me more about himself. I wanted to shake him and tell him he was being a ridiculous child and that Santa didn't really exist.

'I'm so hungry…' I whispered.

'Maybe I will give you some of my blood.'

'No!'

'Why are you fighting this?'

'Excuse me if I don't cooperate when a mad guy tells me he's turned me into a vampire! I've read these things in books and I've seen the movies and it's all the same. There's the vampire and the human and they have this twisted relationship. And in the end humans choose immortality. And they think it's glamorous. A lot of people in my town like those movies. They like the idea. I don't know what to think. I think it's silly. It might be nice to imagine guys can be that good looking and all wounds heal instantly and if you're shot you still live, but those things just don't happen!' I rambled on incoherently. 'There's no Tom Cruise playing Lestat, there's no Edward or Bella and there's no Dracula in Transylvania. We're the only ones here.'

'Those stories and those people, they aren't real Claire. But I am. Why do you think you're suffering so much?'

'Because you drugged me, or you poisoned me, I don't know! You were angry because I stopped you from killing yourself.'

'Now who's insane? Why would I do those terrible things to you? I just wanted you to be alive. Even if not as a human. I couldn't let you die like that.'

I was about to retort but a sudden pain in my mouth silenced me and I fell on the bed, writhing.

He put his hands on my face and opened my mouth forcefully as I shrieked with pain.

'Yes, it's the teeth. They've started growing. It will hurt a lot worse if you don't drink my blood,' he said pained.

'Adrian, there has to be another way,' I mumbled.

'There is no other way. You called me here for a reason.'

I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to me.

'Make the pain stop! Make it go away! I know you can do it, you just won't!' I screamed but it only hurt more when I talked.

He had this grimace on his face, like what he was about to do wouldn't be pleasant, but he was going to be the hero and save the damsel in distress.

* * *

When I woke up, I was sitting in my bed, half-asleep, half-awake and I had this warm feeling in my belly like I had drunk all the possible beer in the world and had eaten all the bags of chips found in every supermarket. Well, it felt like I had had a nice meal. And I felt much stronger too, like back in the days when I played volleyball.

I got out of bed and went to the window and saw the ocean far beyond. Oh, the bliss.

'You're awake.'

Except there was the issue of him. He was still here and he was staring at me in a very unnerving way. I realised I wasn't looking my best. My hair was a bird nest and I was wearing an overly large t-shirt and a pair of tattered boxers.

'I'm awake…'I mumbled. 'I need coffee.'

I sat down on the bed again, looking for a scrunchy on my bedside table.

I massaged the bridge of my nose and tried getting some sense in my mind.

'What happened last night?' I asked. 'I feel much better now.'

'I fed you,' he said simply, looking over my small collection of books in a corner of my room.

'Fed me? How?'

'I hypnotized you and forced it down your throat since you wouldn't let me do it properly. But you're always so stubborn.'

I jumped up in two seconds.

'Hypnotized me? Honestly? That's your best explanation?'

'Sorry to disappoint you. You're feeling better now, right? I think you should show a little bit of gratitude.'

I mumbled something under my breath, but he heard my thanks.

'Did you sleep here all night?'

'I sat in the living room. Watched some T.V. Nothing good was on. Though that Desperate Housewives show seemed interesting,' he said lackadaisical.

I almost felt like laughing, but I had more urgent worries on my mind.

'Okay, really now, how did you manage to stop my pain?'

'I gave you blood,' he said again.

I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen. I made some coffee and sat down to drink it. After two sips I spat it in my napkin.

'Fuck, I had forgotten about that!' I said, wiping my mouth. 'I really need to see a doctor.'

'Before you do that, we need to get to the Registration Office.'

'Say what now?' I asked looking up.

'Now that you're a vampire, you need to get registered. They want to keep track of every new one.'

'Registration Office. The tiny world you live in is far more interesting than I thought. Look, I am really grateful for your help the other night Adrian, but I can't see you anymore. I'm sorry I called you yesterday, I should've dealt with the pain alone. I'm going to go see a doctor. I won't be needing your assistance anymore so we should just part ways, okay?'

'You will persist in this stupid notion of yours that you're still human.'

'And that vampires don't exist, yes,' I said folding my arms.

He strode towards me rather menacingly and I quickly took hold of a fork on the table to make him keep away.

'Don't make me prove it to you,' he said. I could hear the anger in his voice.

He opened his mouth slightly and I saw a pair of pointed teeth. I must admit, I got intimidated and my resolve weakened a bit, but I wasn't about to buy this stupid thing. You could find fangs in every goth store across the country.

'That doesn't impress me much,' I said fiercely.

He pushed me up against the wall and I held the fork to his neck. When I saw he was aiming for my neck I stabbed him in the shoulder, shrieking, but to my shock, he didn't even stir. I saw the damn utensil stuck in his shoulder and a thin rivulet of blood fall down but he didn't flinch.

I felt his teeth skim the surface of my skin before they sank into my neck. I started shouting like mad, but at the same time I felt a feeling of exhilaration, the kind you get when you have an epiphany after many hours of nirvana. The pain wasn't really pain; it felt like spiritual healing.

When he finally let me go I sank to the floor, my hand at my neck, shaking.

'N-no, you're a cannibal, you're a monster,' I whispered.

'No, I'm a vampire. And so are you.'

I couldn't help but believe him, though I didn't want to.


End file.
